By: Dr Metod Berlec
In recent weeks, Slovenia has witnessed intense political developments that reveal the true nature of Golob’s government – from the subjugation of the media landscape to fiscal decay and a pre-election marriage of convenience. At the forefront is the adoption of a controversial media law, approved in the National Assembly by the ruling leftist coalition (Gibanje Svoboda, SD, Levica). The law systematically rewards regime-friendly media while pushing critical voices into financial and institutional isolation. It represents an attempt at the complete subordination of the media space, reminiscent of practices from times we thought were long behind us.
Last week, the portal Demokracija.si revealed that Prime Minister Robert Golob allegedly personally intervened at Telekom Slovenija to significantly increase financial transfers to the media company Pro Plus (POP TV). According to our information, the amount in question exceeds 12 million euros annually – a considerable increase compared to previous sums. In return, viewers are fed indigestible, sugar-coated reporting on the prime minister’s wedding at the protocol venue Vila Tartini, along with other yellow, banal content designed to dumb down the public. With elections approaching, it is clear that the ruling elite spares no taxpayer money when it comes to consolidating media influence.
Meanwhile, the true cost of Golob’s governance is coming to light. The Fiscal Council has warned that in the first eight months of this year, a budget deficit exceeding one billion euros has emerged. The reasons? Excessive growth in public sector wages, stagnation of economic activity, poor absorption of EU funds, and declining state revenues. The government relies on optimistic forecasts, while reality reveals systemic, irrational planning. Instead of addressing domestic problems, it conceals its incompetence with an activist foreign policy that would not have looked out of place in Tito’s Yugoslavia.
But domestic problems are piling up. SDS and NSi have therefore filed a motion of no confidence against the incompetent Minister for a Solidary Future, Simon Maljevac. After more than a year, he has still failed to establish a functioning long-term care system, yet citizens are paying contributions for a service that does not exist. This is a textbook case of political irresponsibility, where ideological activism takes precedence over the actual needs of Slovenian citizens.
Against this backdrop, political parties are preparing for parliamentary elections, which must be held no later than March next year. On Saturday, NSi will hold a congress to elect a new party president. This opens space for a renewal of the party, which has acted completely unprincipled during this term. In exchange for crumbs from the “master’s table,” it made deals with Gibanje Svoboda, undermining serious parliamentary oversight, a role that only a strong SDS can credibly fulfil. Now this is backfiring. The new president will have to rebuild the party on new foundations, cleansing it of the “dealmakers” who misuse the label “Christian” for personal gain. Credibility, after all, can only be achieved in the long run.